Dear incoming freshmen,
This new chapter in your life brings endless possibilities. I understand how you feel right now. happy, sad, scared, and hopeful all at once. While this transition might feel overwhelming, your time in college is your time to truly discover yourself and reach your fullest potential. With that being said, here is what I have learned over the last year that I believe will help you succeed.
Make your bed every morning. Although this task may seem tedious can truthfully be painful (especially on a lofted twin XL). However, after that 8am when you get back to your dorm, if that bed is not made you will get right back into it, and it will throw off your whole day. Such a simple task that takes a minute max can help to shape your whole day and improve productivity.
Use your flex dollars sparingly at the beginning of the semester. Nothing is more disappointing than when you are studying for finals, and you don’t have enough to go get that Dunkin coffee or energy drink. Trust me, you’ll want it more at the end of the semester than you do at the beginning.
Make friends with upperclassmen on campus. This could mean joining a mentor program (stem peer mentors!), chatting with them in club meetings, or going to your RA’s office hours. Like any aspect in life, it is always helpful to talk to somebody with more experience and get a second opinion on some things. And, of course, a familiar face as you walk around campus is always nice and makes all the difference.
Do not be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. This is your time to reinvent yourself and figure out who you want to be. You never know when you will find your people, or your hobby. At the end of the day, it’s sometimes the event that you least expected yourself to attend that you enjoy the most.
On the flip side of this, do not be ashamed to say no. Throughout your first year you will be faced with a lot of challenges and problems that you may have not previously faced. Just know it is important to create the boundaries that you are comfortable with and do not feel bad about sticking to them.
Find a roommate who has the best compatibility with your living style. Speaking from experience it is a lot of fun to be friends with your roommate, but being able to live together is way more important. If you get lucky (like me!) you can get the best of both worlds. But there will always be friends in other aspects of your life and so it is important to have a space at the end of the day where you can be comfortable and not have to worry about another person interfering.
Last but certainly not least, get out into the city. I feel so privileged to be on a small campus that feels like a community, but there is so much outside of these gates to explore. Buy student 9’s to RedSox games, take a walk through the public garden, even just riding the T around to familiarize yourself with the area. One of the most memorable moments this year is when my friends and I were able to successfully take the T and walk somewhere without Google Maps. Boston is one of the best and well-known cities in the country, and everything is right in your backyard.
Although this is just the start of the advice that I could give, these are the key things that I wish somebody told me before I came in as a first year. To whoever is reading this, just know that you’ve got this!
Sincerely,
A girl who survived her freshman year